Chapter 390 — Gathering Forces
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 3
The nobles of this age rarely discussed matters of war with anyone outside their own class, for war was a game for nobles, a chessboard for kings and lords, a tool and a stage for the redistribution of interests. Thus they would not—and saw no need to—explain to commoners why their lands were about to be dragged into the flames of battle. Gao Yang, however, did not see it that way.
He had to make his people understand why war was breaking out and what this war meant for the territory. Only in this way could he bind the interests of everyone in Cecil Territory into a single whole.
"My lords, peace is over. By my judgment, it will not be long before Prince Edmund and Ansul's most powerful fighting force, the Eastern Legion, declare that the capital has been seized by rebels. And the two dukes of the capital, together with the Welsh Moen they hold in their grip, will certainly call upon the nobles to raise arms under the same banner. Ansul's second civil war may well erupt in the Fire Month—and our greatest advantage is that we know this news before anyone else."
Gao Yang did not explain the source of his information, but his absolute authority and his long record of miraculous achievements meant he needed no explanation. Everyone in the council chamber began to think along their lord's lines about Cecil's future. Sir Byron was the first to break the silence: "Sooner or later the flames will reach the South."
"Exactly. Three of the kingdom's four regions will be drawn into civil war, and the South cannot remain aloof forever," Gao Yang nodded. "So what we must do is seize firm control of the South before the fire spreads here, and thereby hold the initiative."
The death of Francis II was a great variable for Gao Yang, but it was one that fell within the several grim predictions he had made about the peace negotiations. Though the details differed, he had indeed war-gamed the possibility of civil war in Ansul. Now the king was truly dead, and the kingdom's situation would soon become unstable—yet for Gao Yang, opportunity was hidden within it as well.
He could now complete the reconquest and rule of the entire South with greater legitimacy and greater freedom from distraction.
The chaotic nobles of the capital and the splintered House Moen would have no time to attend to the South. The three grand dukes would not be able to spare the energy to meddle in the South's reshuffling, and those southern nobles with extensive ties to the Holy Spirit Plain would be battered by the chaos and become all the easier to deal with. So long as he seized this opening and consolidated his base in the early days of Ansul's civil war, everything would be easier than previously planned.
Moreover, Gao Yang could use this civil war as an opportunity to lend greater legitimacy to many of his subsequent undertakings...
With these thoughts in mind, Gao Yang first delivered a pre-war mobilization address to the heads of each department and completed the assignment of war preparations. After the meeting ended, Byron, Philip, Su Jilin, Hedy, and Amber remained behind: what followed was the true closed-door military council.
"The combat corps mobilization is in place," Byron reported first. "The arsenal is still working around the clock to stockpile weapons and ammunition."
Hedy continued: "War preparation propaganda within the territory began several days ago. In addition, I have had Godwin Orlando prepare extra editions reporting that the great southern nobles are conspiring to attack Cecil and plunder the territory's wealth. They can be distributed throughout the territory by tomorrow at the earliest."